BFW Publishers Accessibility

BFW Publishers strives to create products that are usable by all learners and meet universally applied accessibility standards.

Accessible Books Consortium logo

2020 Winner of Accessible Books Consortium’s International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing

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Gold Standard from ASPIRE

We are all in inclusion Logo

Earned 100% on Disability Equality Index

Commitment to Accessibility

BFW Publishers is committed to the goal of providing equal access to all products regardless of an individual’s age, ability, or situation and embraces the opportunity to develop services and information technologies that are accessible and usable by all individuals. Accessibility at BFW Publishers is about extending the power of education to all users. In addition to addressing product compatibility with assistive technologies such as screen reader software, alternative keyboard devices, and voice recognition products, we are working to ensure that the content and platforms we provide are fully accessible by focusing on five fundamental principles:

Champion Equal Success
Commit to providing all users, regardless of abilities, equal learning opportunities.
Elevate Teaching & Learning Experiences
Craft user-friendly and standards-compliant designs that uplift and enrich the lives of all users.
Innovate with Purpose
Embrace accessibility challenges as inspiration to develop groundbreaking, inclusive solutions.
Encourage Lifelong Learning
Cultivate a culture of continuous growth, fostering a deep understanding of accessibility and disability inclusion that translates into transformative solutions.
Nurture Collaboration
Foster cooperation among team members and users with disabilities to address diverse needs throughout the development of our products and services.

Accessibility Features

By partnering with the best and the brightest authors in their respective fields, BFW Publishers strives to improve the world by moving beyond conventional educational concepts and empowering all instructors and students to explore coursework in new, innovative, and creative ways that will enable better outcomes for students and institutions.

E-books: BFW Publishers produces e-books in EPUB3 format. Our e-books include accessibility metadata, short and long alt text, clear structure and organization, and a variety of navigation methods including page and heading navigation. The e-books reflow and respond to magnification, so the text is readable at 400% magnification. We also prioritize keyboard navigation and reading order in our e-book development. BFW Publishers has a policy that allows 10 pages to be printed at a time and the copy/pasting of 2 pages at a time.

We are proud that starting in 2019, our e-books are Global Certified Accessible by Benetech. In 2020, BFW Publishers was awarded the Accessible Books Consortium’s International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing. If you would like to learn more, you can read the Publishing Perspectives article on BFW Publishers earning the first Global Certified Accessible designation. 

BFW Publishers recommends requesting EPUBs as they are the most accessible version of digital textbooks. An EPUB is a file that contains and packages content (much like a .zip extension). It utilizes markup in HTML, XML, and CSS, and is the standard for accessible e-books. BFW Publishers provides DRM-free EPUBs to AccessText Network and BookShare and can provide DRM-free files when necessary directly to a customer. (DRM, digital rights management, is the use of technology to control and manage access to copyrighted material. DRM aims to protect the rights of copyright.) Some third party retailers may apply DRM to our e-book files when they are available for sale. Accessibility metadata is included within each of our e-books and lists the features included for accessibility including a clearly defined reading order and page numbers within the metadata for easier navigation.

Images: Since 2017, BFW Publishers has been providing alternative text for all images inside our e-books, slides, and other resources. Depending on the complexity of the image, we provide both short and long descriptions.

Videos: We provide closed captioning in an accessible player for our videos. Starting in 2019, we began introducing audio description to our video programs.

Simulations: We actively work with accessibility experts to ensure the best experience for all users. Many of our interactive simulations provide a rich, enhanced learning experience for all students.

Accessibility at BFW Publishers is measured using guidelines set forth by 29 U.S.C. 794d (more commonly known as Section 508), as well as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (more commonly known as WCAG 2.1 AA).

Commitment to Support

"We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization."
We Need Diverse Books

Upon request, with no additional cost, BFW Publishers will provide accessible materials such as instructor and student resources (e.g., lecture slides, quizzes, PDFs, etc.), and e-books (or alternate book formats) to Accessibility/Disability Support Services offices for qualified instructors and students with disabilities and for instructors supporting students with disabilities.

We have created helpful articles on our BFW Publishers Support site. These articles are a quick way to get information on subjects such as using a screen reader to navigate your Sapling course list or having your downloaded e-book read aloud to you.

We also maintain a dedicated e-mail (webaccessibility@macmillan.com) to receive input on any accessibility issues.

Make a Request

We aim to respond to all accessibility requests within two to three business days and fulfill requests within five to ten business days. To obtain accessible materials, please review our accessibility partners’ sites and/or visit the support site:

BookShare

An Accessibility Partner

BFW Publishers is also proud to partner with Bookshare. Bookshare serves users around the world and ensures that content is available to people with print disabilities at the same time as their peers. Bookshare makes its services available, free of charge, to all qualifying students in the United States through an award from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Bookshare members may download BFW High School Publishers textbooks in a compressed, encrypted file and can then read the material using adaptive technology or Braille access devices, such as refreshable Braille displays. 

Visit Bookshare

Support Community

BFW Publishers

If you are unable to find the accessible materials you need from our partners, please submit a support request. When filling out the request form, please select Accessibility / Disability Services under the Topic drop-down. Alternatively, contact us via webaccessibility@macmillan.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible. When you make any accessibility request with Bedford, Freeman & Worth, we will never ask users about private information, such as medical records.

Contact Support

Trade Alternate Format Request

If you are looking for a title from any of our partners at us.macmillan.com, including:

  • Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  • First Second
  • Henry Holt & Co.
  • Picador
  • St. Martin’s Press
  • Tor/Forge

Please click the button below to fill out a Trade Alternate Format Request form.

Trade Request Form

Commitment to Change

At BFW Publishers, accessibility is paramount. We are currently updating legacy content/materials while simultaneously implementing appropriate internal organizational changes to ensure that future products conform to the WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines.

Our commitment to accessibility extends farther than just within BFW Publishers. Our staff are actively engaged in industry organizations such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) to stay up-to-date on developing accessibility standards and to promote accessibility throughout our industry.

In 2018, we formed an Accessibility Advisory Board where we discuss and problem solve accessibility issues that universities and students are experiencing on a daily basis. This advisory board has participants from Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Pellissippi State, College of New Rochelle, University of Kansas, Chattanooga State Community College, University of Colorado, California State University Northridge, University of Florida, St. Petersburg College, and Redford University.

In addition to working as quickly as possible to make our products and services accessible, we maintain a dedicated e-mail address (webaccessibility@macmillan.com) to receive input on any accessibility issues. BFW Publishers also supports and participates in national and international disability-focused initiatives as well as cultivates relationships with developers of assistive technology software, which is essential to evolving our product compatibility.

Internally, BFW Publishers supports employees with an Employee Resource Group: AVID@ML (Awareness of Visible & Invisible Disabilities), which provides a forum for BFW Publishers to broaden their understanding regarding people with disabilities by sharing ideas and participating in the disability community. We subscribe to a broad model of disability that includes (but is not limited to) anyone who faces societal barriers due to physical, mental, neurological, or other differences or health conditions. We work to advance awareness and inclusion for people with disabilities at BFW Publishers through education initiatives. AVID@ML supports Macmillan's mission of creating a diverse and inclusive community, thus we provide a safe space for people with disabilities and their allies to share their stories and be heard. We advocate for an inclusive, respectful, and positive environment by advising senior leadership on policies and practices and emphasizing the issues we have in common.

Commitment to Our Community

As a member of the international accessibility community, BFW Publishers is honored to benefit from and add to the knowledge and research of many skilled subject matter experts. There is a wealth of material available for learning about the creation of accessible products, and Macmillan is enthusiastic about contributing to that open-source library of materials in hopes that we can help others in their accessibility journey in the same way. In partnership with Tech For All, we have developed the following Guidelines and Checklists for creating accessible materials:


If you have any feedback about these resources or suggestions about future resources, please reach out to us at webaccessibility@macmillan.com.


Page last updated June 30, 2023.